


Captain America: Ghosts of HYDRA

by madsthenerdygirl



Series: MCU Rewrites [5]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Canon Rewrite, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-30
Updated: 2017-07-30
Packaged: 2018-12-08 18:48:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11652534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madsthenerdygirl/pseuds/madsthenerdygirl
Summary: With the Winter Soldier continuing to face judgment, Steve Rogers becomes more determined than ever to track his friend down and help him. But he's not the only one looking for Bucky Barnes, and it seems that the remnants of HYDRA have one more secret left to reveal...





	Captain America: Ghosts of HYDRA

**Author's Note:**

> I think one of the biggest problems the MCU currently has is that they're rushing. They need to go back to standalone films and take the time to show us characters and get us to love them--that's what made the MCU work in the first place. My biggest issue with Captain America: Civil War was that it felt like two films squeezed into one: the Bucky-centric film and the Accords-centric film. So I split them into two.
> 
> This film takes place simultaneously with the events of my New Avengers and Black Widow scripts. If they were in theaters, they would have been released in early May, June, and then this one in late July/early August.

FADE IN:

 

INT. HYDRA BASE - 1991

 

BUCKY BARNES, aka THE WINTER SOLDIER, sits strapped down to a chair. Sitting in another chair across from him is VASILY KARPOV, the head of the HYDRA super soldier program and Bucky’s handler.

 

There is a mechanical device on either side of Bucky’s head, kind of like a vice. It makes him howl in pain.

 

KARPOV

[In Russian] - Longing. Rusted. Seventeen. Daybreak. Furnace. Nine. Benign. Homecoming. One. Freight car.

 

Bucky stops howling and calms down, laser-sharp focus pointed straight at Karpov. There is something blank and terrifying about his expression.

 

KARPOV (CONT’D)

[In Russian] - Good morning, soldier.

 

BUCKY

[In Russian] - Ready to comply.

 

KARPOV

I have a mission for you. Sanction and extract. No witnesses.

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. FOREST ROAD - NIGHT

 

It’s still 1991, and an expensive sedan is driving along a forest road at night. It’s clearly not wilderness forest, but rather one of those nice areas that have a lot of trees to give the rich people privacy and to show off how they can afford to water all of said trees.

 

The car is driving peacefully when a man on a motorcycle flies out of nowhere. It’s Bucky.

He readies his gun and fires at the car’s tires. The car careens out of control and smashes into a tree.

 

An older HOWARD STARK manages to crawl out of the driver’s seat. He can’t stand.

The motorcycle returns and Bucky parks it. He gets off the motorcycle and walks over to Howard.

 

Howard looks up at him - and is shocked.

 

HOWARD

...Barnes?

 

Bucky grabs Howard by the hair and hits him once - twice - strategically, killing him. He then drags the dead body over and slumps him back in the driver’s seat.

 

We see a panicked and injured MARIA STARK in the front passenger seat. She’s too injured to move or fight back. She sees her dead husband’s body and closes her eyes.

 

Bucky walks around to the other side of the car and reaches his arm in, grabbing Maria by the throat. He strangles her.

 

He then walks around to the trunk of the car, popping it open and grabbing a small suitcase.

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. HYDRA BASE - 1991

 

Bucky is standing in front of Karpov, who opens the briefcase. Inside are tiny vials of serum - super soldier serum. It seems that despite Peggy’s best efforts, Howard and SHIELD were trying to recreate Captain America anyway.

 

KARPOV

[In Russian] - Well done, soldier.

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. ABANDONED FACTORY - PRESENT DAY

 

STEVE ROGERS, aka CAPTAIN AMERICA, strides into a dark, abandoned factory. Broken-down, dust-covered machinery obscures vision and provides plenty of places to hide.

 

Steve walks through in his Captain America outfit, on edge but trying not to show it.

 

STEVE

Bucky?

 

There is the sound of a wrench or something falling to the ground. Steve whirls around - and suddenly he is in his civilian clothing. He has no shield, nothing. He’s just in pants and a shirt.

 

STEVE (CONT’D)

Bucky, I know you’re here.

 

A shadow darts by behind Steve’s back. Steve turns - and now he is his pre-serum self. His clothes are too big for him.

 

Behind Steve, a figure steps up so that the figure is standing right behind him, looming over him. Steve realizes that someone is there.

 

Steve slowly turns around and looks up into the eyes of Bucky, looking like he did when he first shipped off to war - clean cut, perfectly styled hair, jaunty hat and a lopsided smile.

 

Steve visibly relaxes, relieved.

 

STEVE (CONT’D)

You were starting to worry me.

 

Bucky continues to smile at Steve - and grabs him by the throat. Bucky’s arm is now the metal arm of the Winter Soldier.

 

The rest of Bucky still looks “normal” and he is still smiling. Steve grabs at the hand choking him, trying to pry it off.

 

STEVE (CONT’D)

B...

 

BUCKY

Oh Stevie. You really think you can save everyone.

 

He tightens his grip, and Steve gasps for breath. Bucky hauls him up so Steve’s feet leave the ground and he’s dangling.

 

BUCKY (CONT’D)

I’ll let you in on a little secret. I don’t want to be saved.

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. PLANE - DAY

 

Steve Rogers wakes up with a start.

 

He looks around, and begins to calm down.

 

He’s on a plane. It’s clear that he’s been asleep. A FLIGHT ATTENDANT walks past.

 

FLIGHT ATTENDANT

Everything okay sir?

 

Steve nods and the flight attendant walks on.

 

Steve takes a deep breath and resettles himself. He’s clearly a bit displaced.

 

He pulls out an iPad and logs on to the plane wifi. Immediately a bunch of news articles pop up. All of them are concerned with either SHIELD, the Winter Soldier, or Black Widow. Headlines include such things as:

 

ROMANOFF CASE DRAGS ON

 

CIA AND INTERPOL CONTINUE HUNT FOR WINTER SOLDIER

 

Steve switches the iPad off and turns on the television on the back of the chair in front of him. It’s all news - one reporter is discussing how Natasha Romanoff is a traitor, while the anchor replies that the only country she betrayed was Russia and that she’s been a loyal SHIELD agent ever since.

 

Steve switches the channel. A news anchor is reporting on how the “Winter Soldier hotline” has been flooded with people claiming to have seen Barnes.

 

Steve switches again. This time it’s a news anchor asking - or rather yelling - about how the President needs to do something about this HYDRA/SHIELD catastrophe.

 

Steve switches the television off. He sees his reflection in the black, blank television screen.

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. FILM STUDIO - DAY

 

Steve, wearing a slightly more showy and patriotic costume version of his Captain America armor, is standing in front of a green screen.

 

STEVE

How many more of these do we have to do?

 

P.A.

Just a couple more, sir.

 

Steve sighs and stands in the middle of the bustling film set. Everyone around him has a purpose and is working - he’s the only one alone.

 

Someone else, probably another P.A., comes up to him. He’s clearly nervous.

 

P.A. #2

E-excuse me, sir, sorry to bother you, but uh... my little sister, she wants to be just like you when she grows up. I was wondering if you could...?

 

Steve sees the guy’s notebook and pen out. He puts on a smile.

 

STEVE

Of course. What’s her name?

 

P.A. #2

Laura.

 

Steve signs Laura a nice little note, and then the voice of the FIRST AD booms out.

 

FIRST AD

Okay, we’re running the detention one, from the top!

 

Someone holds up giant cue cards that will tell Steve what to say. Everyone else runs into position.

 

DIRECTOR

Camera rolling!

 

BOOM OPERATOR

Speed!

 

DIRECTOR

Action!

 

Steve puts on his “Captain America” persona, the same one we saw when he was on stage in World War II.

 

STEVE

Hi. I’m Captain America...

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. MONTAGE - DAY

 

We get a montage of Steve as he exits the film studio. He takes the subway, sits in a park, walks down the street. He’s wandering. We get the sense of Steve’s isolation, even in a world that continues to worship him - as seen from the Captain America merchandise, the “Things Cap Says” book that is “a collection of Steve Roger’s best tweets,” and an interview with Captain America that’s playing on a bunch of televisions in a store that Steve walks by.

 

The Steve on the television is being interviewed. He’s clearly responding to a question of some kind:

 

STEVE

Of course it’s ridiculous. It’s more than ridiculous, it’s dangerous. The last time a group of people started saying that another group of people were dangerous and less than, we got concentration camps. Muslim refugees are fleeing persecution, war, and famine in their homeland. Isn’t that what our country is supposed to be built on? Did I read the Statue of Liberty wrong?

 

The interview cuts to a newscaster.

 

NEWSCASTER

Captain America’s passionate speech against Islamaphobia in his latest interview has become a rallying point for several protests that have been staged across the country. Authorities...

 

Steve walks on.

 

He stops by areas and sits down, sketching. But he’s not sketching what he actually sees. He’s sketching what he remembers, the way the buildings and streets and stores were when he was growing up. We finally start to remember that Steve is a man out of place and out of time, desperately trying to hold onto and remember his life from before.

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. PEGGY’S ROOM - DAY

 

Steve finishes telling Peggy about his day. There is a moment of silence as Peggy, now so much older, stares at him.

 

PEGGY

Are you going after him again?

 

Steve looks away. Peggy gently places her hand over his.

 

STEVE

He’s all I have left from back then, besides you.

 

PEGGY

And I’m merely a shadow.

 

Steve shakes his head.

 

STEVE

Nah, you’re still my best girl.

 

Peggy chuckles, but then sobers up.

 

PEGGY

Oh, my darling, my heart breaks for you.

 

STEVE

You never used to call me that before.

 

PEGGY

I’m afraid I had rather stupid ideas involving pride and waiting to reveal my feelings.

 

Steve kisses Peggy’s hand.

 

PEGGY (CONT’D)

Steve. You know that I cared for James as well. We all did. But sometimes I forget... that he was your whole world.

 

Steve snorts.

 

STEVE

Yeah. He kind of was.

 

PEGGY

That’s why I want you to be careful.

 

Steve looks at her, confused.

 

PEGGY (CONT’D)

Be certain that what you are doing is for his benefit, and not just for yours.

 

STEVE

He needs me. He needs help.

 

PEGGY

Of course he needs help, darling. But you two are so intertwined. I wouldn’t want your attempts to help him to only drag you both down further.

 

STEVE

You mean codependency?

 

PEGGY

You must let James become his own man. Don’t free him from HYDRA only to shackle him to you.

 

Steve contemplates this.

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. INTERVIEW ROOM - DAY

 

Steve shifts a little in his chair while sitting opposite a REPORTER. The reporter smiles reassuringly. It’s clear this interview is nearing an end.

 

REPORTER

Just one last question today, Mr. Rogers.

 

Steve nods.

 

REPORTER (CONT’D)

The one thing that’s been on everyone’s mind: the Winter Soldier.

 

STEVE

Sergeant James Barnes.

 

REPORTER

Yes. The files released by Miss Romanoff haven’t been fully sorted or decoded, but enough has come to light to help us to realize that Barnes is not only a super soldier like yourself, but responsible for many political crimes over the past few decades, including multiple homicide. Many people believe that Barnes should stand trial for what he’s done. I believe the death penalty has even been discussed. Given your close relationship with him and your altercations during the downfall of SHIELD, what would be your opinion on what should be done with Barnes?

 

STEVE

I mean, you’re assuming you can even find him.

 

The reporter chooses to take this as a joke and chuckles.

 

STEVE (CONT’D)

I’ll be honest with you, I might not be the best person to ask. I’m Bucky’s best friend. It’s like asking a wife to testify against her husband. You can’t help but remember all the ways that person was good for you and all the reasons why you cared about them. And that can mess with your judgment. But I’ll try and stick with the facts: the fact is that a man has been brainwashed for decades by an organization that we know has a history of murder, espionage, discrimination, persecution, and God knows how many other crimes. I’d also like you to consider Barnes’ distinguished military career up until his supposed death while in action. If the kind of person like Barnes, with his venerated, untarnished career, is suddenly a killer for an organization like HYDRA, one that we know uses brainwashing techniques, wouldn’t that make you think twice about persecuting him at the very least? And why - I’m sorry, why are we even discussing the death penalty? Why is this still a thing in our country, when - when we claim to be better than others while doing the same things that they do, that’s where we start to lose our way. I think Buck - that Barnes, is a convenient patsy for the media. He’s the big, scary assassin that everyone can blame. It’s why Natasha Romanoff is still on trial after being the one to release the HYDRA files in the first place and risking her life repeatedly for the sake of this country: she’s a convenient patsy. The government and the public likes to have a boogeyman to hate. If the government was truly interested in being fair, they would finish decoding and sorting all of the released HYDRA files before starting a manhunt. And where’s the manhunt for Brock Rumlow? He publicly stated that he was for HYDRA, and he doesn’t even get a blip on the radar. Barnes shouldn’t be Public Enemy #1. The people at the top who gave him his orders and snuck into SHIELD through the back door are the ones we should be going after.

 

Steve realizes he’s gone on a bit of a rant and that everyone looks a bit taken aback.

 

STEVE (CONT’D)

I’m sorry, it’s just... this hits a bit close to home, y’know?

 

The reporter gathers herself together and smiles.

 

REPORTER

I’m sure that if Sergeant Barnes could see this, he’d be glad to know that he has such a loyal friend in you.

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. BUCHAREST MARKET - DAY

 

BUCKY BARNES, aka THE WINTER SOLDIER, is making his way through an Eastern European market. He looks dirty and unkempt, wearing old clothes with long sleeves to cover his metal arm. He has a baseball cap jammed down on his head.

 

He sees the Steve’s interview about the Winter Soldier, playing on a small television at the back of a grocery stand. Bucky pauses.

 

GROCER

[In Romanian] - You going to get anything?

 

Bucky nods, and picks out some plums, paying for them. He nods his head in thanks and heads out.

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. AVENGER’S TOWER - DAY

 

Steve is exiting the Avenger’s Tower. He’s got a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. TONY STARK sees him.

 

TONY

Hey, Spangles!

 

Steve grins.

 

STEVE

Hey Tony.

 

They hug.

 

TONY

Where’re you off to, Thor and I were just about to come and see you all.

 

STEVE

I know, I told the others.

 

TONY

You’re going to Europe again, aren’t you.

 

Steve looks away.

 

TONY (CONT’D)

You gotta be careful, Rogers. Take Sam or Maria with you.

 

STEVE

I’ll be fine. Don’t you have a big thing at MIT you have to prepare for?

 

TONY

Don’t think I don’t see you changing the subject on me.

 

He checks his watch.

 

TONY (CONT’D)

But as a matter of fact I do... sort of... Have to go...

 

He starts walking backwards into the tower.

 

TONY (CONT’D)

This isn’t over, Rogers! You have to be careful!

 

STEVE

It’s cute how you’re all worried about me.

 

TONY

It’s because we care, you idiot. Besides, if you die, who’ll say ‘Avengers-’

 

He enters the tower and the doors close shut behind him, cutting him off before he can say “Assemble.”

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. HENRI COANDA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT - DAY

 

Steve is walking through the airport, duffel bag in hand. He gets a call and answers.

 

STEVE

Maria?

 

The voice of MARIA HILL comes over the line.

 

MARIA

I did the searches you asked me for, and I’ve got five possible locations. I’m sending them to you now.

 

Steve looks down at his phone as it beeps, signalling that Maria has sent him the information.

 

STEVE

Thanks.

 

He puts the phone back up to his ear as he resumes walking through the airport.

 

MARIA

Is Falcon with you?

 

STEVE

Going this one alone. Bucky’s been avoiding me, I think because I’ve had Sam with me.

 

MARIA

You’re heading into dangerous territory, Rogers.

 

STEVE

When am I not?

 

MARIA

You need someone at your back.

 

STEVE

I can handle this.

 

Maria sighs.

 

MARIA

I was afraid you’d say that.

 

Steve grins.

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. BUCKY’S APARTMENT - DAY

 

The apartment is small and a bit dirty, but it’s not so much because the owner doesn’t clean as it is that the apartment is old and made up of old, dirty furniture and appliances that will never be clean no matter what.

 

There is a soft thump, and then a creak as one of the windows is gently lifted open, just a crack. A pair of scissors then sneaks in through the crack and snips a line of fishing wire, disabling the alarm that would have gone off if the window had been opened all the way.

 

The scissors retract and the window opens the rest of the way. Steve, now in his Captain America suit with his shield, climbs in. He just barely fits through the window. It’s very awkward.

 

He gets through the window and stands up in the kitchen. He looks around.

 

Steve sees that this apartment is basically just one room. There’s a mattress with dishevelled covers, the table and chair, and on the refrigerator are stuck, with magnets, several newspaper clippings and printouts from a computer about the Winter Soldier. On the top of the refrigerator is a worn notebook.

 

Steve picks it up. It’s rather like his notebook that we glimpsed in the last Captain America film. This notebook has various colored tabs sticking out of it.

 

Steve opens it. Inside the notebook are sketches and lists and more newspaper clippings, this time clippings of things that have happened over the years such as the moon landing. There are also sketches of Steve - pages and pages.

 

Steve slowly raises his head. He realizes he’s not alone.

 

He turns around. Bucky is standing behind him, holding the bag of plums.

 

STEVE

Do you know me?

 

BUCKY

Your name’s Steve. I read about you in a museum.

 

STEVE

You’re lying.

 

Bucky gives him an “oh I am, am I” look.

 

STEVE (CONT’D)

Look, I know you’re nervous. You have every reason to be. But you’re lying.

 

BUCKY

Or maybe I’m just not saying what you want me to say.

 

They stare at each other for a moment. It’s hard to tell how much Bucky actually remembers. Is he lying, does he remember Steve? Or is his memory still too fragmented?

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. STREET OUTSIDE APARTMENT - DAY

 

Several men in black ops outfits are heading for the building. They have guns, and they’re headed straight for Bucky’s apartment. Emerging from the shadows, looking up at the apartment, is CROSSBONES, aka BROCK RUMLOW. His face is obscured by his new mask, which is black, with a skull-like face painted onto it. His armor bears a massive white X, the cross to his bones.

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. BUCKY’S APARTMENT - DAY

 

STEVE

You pulled me from the river. You saved my life. Why?

 

BUCKY

I don’t know.

 

STEVE

Yes, you do.

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY

 

The members of Crossbones’ team make their way onto the roof and up the stairs.

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. BUCKY’S APARTMENT - DAY

 

In Bucky’s apartment, both men drop into a battle stance. They can hear people outside, on the stairs.

 

BUCKY

Friends of yours?

 

Steve shakes his head.

 

Both men turn as there is the sound of something banging against the door - it’s a battering ram.

 

STEVE

Whoever they are, they brought the whole damn artillery.

 

BUCKY

You should run.

 

STEVE

Since when have I run from a fight?

 

Bucky looks like he’s about to say something when a grenade is launched through the window. Bucky kicks the grenade at Steve, who smothers the grenade’s explosion with his shield.

 

The battering ram makes it through the door, and Bucky kicks the kitchen table at the door, blocking it. Dishes go flying.

 

Two men swing in on cables, crashing in through the window.

 

BUCKY

Behind!

 

Steve ducks a blow from one of the men and yanks the rug out from under him, sending him flying. Bucky slams the other man into the wall.

 

STEVE

Buck, stop! You’re gonna kill someone!

 

He yanks Bucky off of the guy. Bucky shoves Steve off of him.

 

BUCKY

These aren’t cops, Steve.

 

He yanks up the man he slammed into the wall and turns him, revealing the HYDRA patch on his arm. Steve takes it in.

 

Bucky then throws the agent into the wall, knocking him out. Bucky then punches a hole in the floor. He grabs a backpack that was hidden under there and throws it out the window. In response, they are met with a hail of gunfire.

 

Steve grabs his shield and yanks Bucky behind it, shielding them both. When the gunfire stops Bucky shoves Steve back into the agent that Steve yanked the rug out from under, sending both Steve and the agent onto the balcony.

 

The other agents get through with the battering ram. The first one fires at Bucky, who blocks the bullets with his metal arm and then shoves the agent into a set of shelves.

 

Steve fights off the guy on the balcony and then enters into the stairwell, along with Bucky, in time to almost be hit by an agent ziplining in from the skylight. Bucky picks up the battering ram and bashes the other agents with it.

 

Steve knocks out the zipline guy, and we hear the sound of more men in the stairwell. Bucky grabs the zipline and uses it to swing down a level.

 

One of the agents speaks into his radio.

 

HYDRA AGENT

Er ist am östlichen Treppenschacht!

 

Translation: He is heading down the east stairwell!

 

Steve grabs the guy’s radio and crushes it, then jumps down a level. Bucky is in the middle of a heated battle with about three other agents. He throws one of them off the stairs. Steve catches the guy as he falls, then looks over at Bucky wearily.

 

STEVE

C’mon, man.

 

Steve throws the agent up onto a landing. Bucky breaks a bannister and swings down on it. Another agent jumps Steve and he flings the guy over his shoulders. Bucky lays into yet more agents and takes them out. One of the agents aims his gun at Bucky.

 

Steve knocks the gun out of the man’s hands, giving Bucky time to sprint through the nearest apartment, crash through the window, and leap onto the roof of the nearest building. His backpack is there. Bucky picks it up and begins to run.

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. ROOFTOP - DAY

 

Bucky is tearing over the rooftops. Someone else comes out of nowhere, slamming into Bucky.

It’s Rumlow.

 

Bucky manages to lock his arms onto Rumlow’s shoulders so he can get a look at his face.

 

RUMLOW

Long time no see, Soldier.

 

Bucky snarls and kicks Rumlow’s kneecap, making his legs buckle and allowing Bucky to fling Rumlow over his head. Rumlow crashes but gets right back up, giving a yell as he comes at Bucky, swinging.

 

Back at the stairwell, Steve’s still taking on the remaining HYDRA agents. He’s holding up quite well, but they’re providing enough of a distraction that he’s not able to take off after Bucky.

 

Rumlow and Bucky are going at it. This fighting is fierce, no-holds-barred, rough, and brutal. There’s finesse in the sense that both of these men are experts in hand to hand combat, but they are seeking to make the other one as bloody as possible. There’s brute force and a fair amount of resentment at work here.

 

There is the sound of a helicopter approaching as Bucky dodges a punch and delivers one of his own. He’s at a disadvantage here given the amount of heavy armor that Rumlow is wearing.

 

Steve manages to finish off the agents. He yanks his shield out of the wall where it has become embedded and hoists it onto his back. He takes off after Bucky.

 

Bucky and Rumlow continue to fight, but the helicopter behind them is angling, flying low. A HYDRA agent opens the door to the helicopter and braces himself, aiming a gun at Bucky.

 

Steve tears across the rooftops towards Bucky, Rumlow, and the helicopter.

 

The agent on the helicopter aims it at Bucky and fires. The gun strikes Bucky, but it’s not a bullet - it’s a tranquilizing dart.

 

It takes a moment for Bucky to feel the effects. He stumbles - Rumlow catches him.

 

RUMLOW (CONT’D)

Get him onboard!

 

The agent puts down his gun and hurries over, helping Rumlow get an unconscious Bucky onto the helicopter.

 

Steve picks up his pace. He’s at a full-on sprint, pushing himself as fast as he can.

 

Rumlow turns to look at Steve, giving Steve his first good look at Crossbones. The helicopter begins to take off.

 

As the helicopter starts to move away, Steve takes a spectacular leap and manages and grab the edge of the building and the helicopter. His muscles strain as he struggles to hold onto the helicopter.

 

Rumlow watches for a moment in amusement, but then the amusement turns to annoyance as Steve manages to continue to hold onto the helicopter.

 

RUMLOW (CONT’D)

Get rid of him!

 

The agent guiding the helicopter turns it away from the building, making the tail end of the helicopter spin towards the building and wrenching the copter out of Steve’s grip. Steve nearly falls off the building but manages to maintain his grip. But he’s lost his grip on the copter.

 

The copter flies off, and Rumlow gives Steve a mocking salute. Steve watches as the helicopter flies off.

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. HYDRA BASE - DAY

 

Bucky is secured to a chair, with that same mechanical device on either side of his head. The device flickers on and Bucky howls in pain.

 

Rumlow sits on a chair in front of Bucky, now out of his Crossbones armor.

 

Rumlow hoists up Bucky’s backpack, dangling it mockingly in front of him.

 

RUMLOW

I found the most interesting things in here.

 

He sets the backpack down and opens it, pulling out a worn notebook. There is the HYDRA symbol stamped onto the cover. Inside the words are all in Russian or German, written by many different hands over the years. It’s a compilation of the orders and controls used to brainwash Barnes.

 

Rumlow flips through the notebook, almost casually.

 

RUMLOW (CONT’D)

You know, Captain America’s been a real pain in my ass these last few months.

 

He points the notebook at Bucky.

 

RUMLOW (CONT’D)

But so have you. So I figured, why not get two birds with one stone?

 

A grin slowly spreads across his face.

 

RUMLOW (CONT’D)

Takes a super soldier to kill a super soldier, at least by my math.

 

He flips open to the page of the notebook he wants and begins to read.

 

RUMLOW (CONT’D)

Longing.

 

Bucky begins to strain against the restraints that hold him back, struggling to get out.

 

RUMLOW (CONT’D)

Rusted. Seventeen.

 

Bucky’s thrashing, growling, a desperate animal.

 

RUMLOW (CONT’D)

Daybreak. Furnace.

 

There is true desperation in Bucky’s eyes. Whatever is about to happen, it isn’t good, and he knows it. He’s trying his damndest to resist it.

 

RUMLOW (CONT’D)

Nine. Benign. Homecoming.

 

Bucky begins to scream in frustration and fear.

 

RUMLOW (CONT’D)

One. Freight car.

 

On the last word, Bucky stops resisting. He settles back into the chair. His face is a blank, hardened mask.

 

Rumlow flips the notebook closed.

 

RUMLOW (CONT’D)

Good morning, soldier.

 

He nods at one of the agents, who takes the mouth guard out of Bucky’s mouth, allowing him to speak.

 

BUCKY

Ready to comply.

 

Rumlow grins.

 

RUMLOW

Mission report. December 16, 1991.

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. HOTEL ROOM - DAY

 

Steve is tossing photographs around as various radio airwaves crackle. The hotel room has been set up as a makeshift headquarters. There are radios listening for any HYDRA frequency, photographs of HYDRA agents and Rumlow/Crossbones, and a map of the city pinned to the wall. On Steve’s computer is Maria Hill on a video call.

 

MARIA

HYDRA was able to stay relatively active over the years because of how well they hid their cells, Steve. I know you’re on a time crunch but these things take time.

 

STEVE

Dammit, Maria, God knows what they’re going to do to him.

 

MARIA

I know. That’s why I sent along a friend to help.

 

There is a knock on Steve’s door. Steve turns and walks over, opening it.

 

Standing there is SHARON CARTER, formerly a SHIELD agent who was sent to spy on Steve, now a member of the CIA.

 

Steve is not exactly happy to see her. He turns and looks back at Maria.

 

STEVE

Really?

 

Sharon pushes past him to enter the room, waving some files.

 

SHARON

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s follow the money. Especially taxes.

 

STEVE

Shouldn’t you be with Peggy?

 

SHARON

Shouldn’t you be with her?

 

They raise their eyebrows at each other, neither one giving an inch.

 

SHARON (CONT’D)

The thing about HYDRA hiding within SHIELD - they were able to use SHIELD to cover up or make legitimate a lot of things that were done for HYDRA’s purposes. That includes refurbishing or establishing HYDRA cells. Problem is, SHIELD is - was - technically a part of the United States government, which means they needed a paper trail to show they spent their money responsibly. Especially when it comes to taxes.

 

She opens the files and hands them to Steve. It’s the tax records of various projects SHIELD funded - including the refurbishing of a bomb shelter on the outskirts of the city.

 

STEVE

You think they’re keeping him here?

 

SHARON

It fits.

 

MARIA

I know I’ll sleep better with having someone to cover your back.

 

SHARON

I know I betrayed your trust, but I was just doing what I was told.

 

STEVE

Pretty poor choice there.

 

SHARON

Don’t pretend that you’ve never followed orders, trusting that the people at the top knew what they were doing - or making you do.

 

STEVE

Does your aunt know?

 

SHARON

She’s already had to keep so many secrets over the years. I didn’t want her to have to keep one from you.

 

Steve nods.

 

STEVE

Well, you’re here. Might as well make yourself useful.

 

Sharon opens her coat to reveal she’s carrying a hell of a lot of firepower.

 

SHARON

I came prepared.

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. HYDRA BASE - DAY

 

Bucky, now freed, stands with Rumlow in front of several computer screens.

 

RUMLOW

I’ll need you to take him out first.

 

He points to the computer screen showing footage of Steve from when he was on the boat in the Winter Soldier film.

 

RUMLOW (CONT’D)

He’ll be looking for you, so he should be easy to find.

 

One of the soldiers at the door is shot and goes down. Rumlow and Bucky turn.

 

Sharon and Steve are in the doorway. Sharon is wearing a white combat suit, including guns strapped to her thighs and a belt around her waist that includes two batons. In her hand is one of her guns, which she just used to shoot the soldier.

 

Sharon, Steve, and Rumlow all stare at each other.

 

RUMLOW (CONT’D)

Sharon! Long time no see.

 

STEVE

I should’ve known it was you.

 

RUMLOW

You really should have. Soldier?

 

Bucky steps forward.

 

RUMLOW (CONT’D)

Eliminate.

 

Bucky strides towards Steve with purpose.

 

STEVE

Sharon, you know what to do.

 

Sharon cocks her gun.

 

SHARON

Oh boy do I.

 

She fires at another HYDRA soldier as he tries to come down the stairs, then holsters her gun and draws her batons as she whips around the face Rumlow.

 

RUMLOW

This is going to be a real pleasure, Carter.

 

SHARON

Funny, I was going to say the same thing to you.

 

They go at each other, Rumlow brutally and Sharon with her own fighting style, one that we haven’t had a chance to see before. She’s not as graceful and balletic as Natasha, nor is she wildly acrobatic and improvisational like Wanda. Instead, she’s efficient, lightning fast, and manages to be brutal without going overboard. If her fighting style seems familiar, it’s because it’s similar to Peggy Carter’s fighting style. You can bet that Peggy trained Sharon long before SHIELD or the CIA did.

 

Using her batons, Sharon manages to keep Rumlow at bay, even as they proceed to beat the living crap out of each other.

 

Bucky and Steve, however, are the ones actively destroying everything around them.

 

Bucky throws Steve into the wall of computers. Steve recovers, dodges Bucky’s punch so that Bucky’s fist then goes straight into the wall, punching a hole in it, and allowing Steve to kick Bucky clear across the room, knocking over chairs and sending papers flying.

 

Bucky recovers with a grunt and launches himself at Steve again. Both Sharon and Rumlow stop fighting and look over at the super soldiers, then at each other, making a silent agreement: probably should steer clear of this one.

 

Both Sharon and Rumlow book it for the stairs, hurrying to get out of the way.

 

Sharon, wearing less bulky armor, gets there first and dashes up the stairs. The initial dash just to get out of Steve and Bucky’s way turns into a chase as Sharon gets ahead of Rumlow and heads down the corridor, shooting down any HYDRA soldier who gets in her way as she makes her way into the main control room.

 

Rumlow, hot on her heels, follows after her.

 

Sharon scrambles into the room and begins planting explosives.

 

Rumlow enters the room.

 

SHARON (CONT’D)

Crap.

 

She and Rumlow go back to fighting again, with Rumlow trying both to kill Sharon and remove the explosive, and Sharon trying to keep him away from the explosive and keep herself from dying.

 

Down below, Bucky continues to beat the ever-loving shit out of Steve. Steve’s holding his own but he’s also trying not to hurt Bucky, which means he’s not using his full strength and it’s allowing Bucky to gain the upper hand.

 

Bucky throws Steve down, and Steve grabs the leg off the table, literally wrenching it off. He then bashes Bucky over the head with it. He goes to hit him again and Bucky grabs the table leg and wrenches it out of Steve’s grip.

 

Meanwhile, up above, Sharon and Rumlow are still going at it. The explosive beeps - there isn’t a lot of time.

 

Sharon uses her batons to hit Rumlow on the sides of his head, right where his ears are. Rumlow stumbles, disoriented.

 

Sharon takes advantage of his disorientation to shove him out of the way and dash down the hallway again. She pulls out another explosive from her belt and straps it to the wall. She speaks into her headset.

 

SHARON (CONT’D)

Hurry up! I’ve only got one more to plant!

 

Steve dodges one of Bucky’s punches and then punches Bucky in the stomach.

 

STEVE

On it!

 

He dashes up the stairs, Bucky hot on his heels.

 

Sharon turns around just in time to get hit in the face by Rumlow. Sharon’s nose bleeds and she glares at him. She then presses a button on one of her batons. As Rumlow comes at her again she ducks and smashes him in the face with her baton, then jams it up against his chest. The baton acts like a taser, completely overwhelming Rumlow with electric shock.

 

He sinks to his knees.

 

Sharon then kicks him in the face, knocking him out, and dashes away.

 

Steve and Bucky, meanwhile, completely break down a wall as they both go flying, still entangled and beating the crap out of each other, making their way to the upper floors.

 

Sharon sets up the final explosive.

 

SHARON

Steve! We gotta go!

 

STEVE

Just one minute!

 

SHARON

(Muttering to herself) - If he misses Aunt Peggy’s 95th birthday party she’s gonna blame me for it.

 

Steve tries to escape the compound while also leading Bucky away from it, taking them up to the roof.

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. HYDRA BASE ROOF - DAY

 

Up on the roof, we can now see where we are - a former bomb shelter turned HYDRA base at the edge of the city, near a river. Bucky continues to advance on Steve, who is fighting mainly defensively.

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. HYDRA BASE - DAY

 

Sharon proceeds to fight off the other HYDRA soldiers on her way to the exit, shooting them when necessary but generally using her batons. In case anyone didn’t realize it before, Sharon Carter is a badass.

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. HALLWAY - DAY

 

Rumlow comes to slowly, disoriented. He sees the explosive counting down in front of him.

He manages to scramble to his feet. Bracing himself against the wall, he stumbles down the hallway towards the exit.

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. ROOFTOP - DAY

 

Unfortunately for Steve, his humanity is doing him in - Bucky’s gaining the upper hand. Bucky manages to use his enhanced arm to get his hand around Steve’s throat and shove him onto the ground, with Steve’s head hanging off the side of the building.

 

STEVE

I... know... this... isn’t... you...

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. HYDRA BASE EXIT - DAY

 

Sharon dashes out of the building and grabs a motorcycle, clearly the one she used to ride over here. She turns it on, revving the engine.

 

SHARON

Steve!

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. HALLWAY - DAY

 

The timer on the explosive counts down to zero.

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. ROOFTOP - DAY

 

A massive explosion rocks the building and chunks of material go flying. The ground underneath Steve and Bucky gives way. The force of the explosion sends both of them flying into the river, along with debris.

 

A piece of flying concrete hits Bucky in the head, knocking him unconscious - lights out.

 

STEVE

Buck!

 

Both men fall into the river. Sharon and Rumlow both see it.

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. ROAD OUTSIDE HYDRA BASE - DAY

 

Rumlow manages to stumble away from the wreckage of the base. He turns around and glares hatefully.

 

Sharon rides her motorcycle up and sees him. Rumlow turns and looks at her. Will she go after him? Or will she try and find her partner?

 

Sharon wheels the motorcycle around and goes after Steve.

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. RIVER - DAY

 

Sharon drives up in her motorcycle. She cuts the engine and starts wading into the water, calling out.

 

SHARON

Steve? Steve?

 

She searches but can’t find anything. The river is quiet. For a moment, we start to lose hope - are both Steve and Bucky dead?

 

Then Steve emerges, gasping, heaving something up in his arms: it’s an unconscious Bucky.

 

Sharon hurries farther into the river, helping him haul Bucky onto the riverbank. Steve collapses, exhausted, coughing.

 

SHARON (CONT’D)

I am not hauling him onto my motorcycle.

 

Steve chuckles.

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. WAREHOUSE - DAY

 

Bucky slowly comes to. He’s sitting on the ground, stripped of his armor, with his arm clamped in a huge industrial vice. Steve stands over him. Sharon is farther back, watching the outside through a window.

 

SHARON

We don’t have a lot of time. Rumlow survived, he’ll be back for us before long.

 

STEVE

We’ve got time for this.

 

Bucky blinks more awake and Steve comes over to stand in front of him.

 

BUCKY

Steve.

 

STEVE

Which Bucky am I talking to?

 

BUCKY

Your mom's name was Sarah. You used to wear newspapers in your shoes.

 

STEVE

Can’t read that in a museum.

 

SHARON

I’m sorry, just like that we’re supposed to be okay?

 

BUCKY

What did I do?

 

STEVE

Nothing.

 

SHARON

You tried to kill him.

 

BUCKY

Oh, God, I knew this would happen. Everything HYDRA put inside me is still there. All he had to do was say the goddamn words.

 

STEVE

What did he want?

 

SHARON

Pretty sure he wants you dead.

 

STEVE

Besides that.

 

BUCKY

He asked me about old missions. He wanted to know about Siberia. Where I was kept. He wanted to know exactly where.

 

STEVE

Why?

 

BUCKY

Because I’m not the only Winter Soldier.

 

Both Steve and Sharon stare at him.

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. WINTER SOLDIER BASE - 1992

 

Three young men and two young women are lying strapped to hospital beds. A strange blue fluid is fed intravenously into their arms. The drip bags hang on stands beside them. They're all fit and muscular. One man, JOSEF, flexes his huge biceps. Josef then begins to scream. Still screaming, he is dragged into a cell and left on a bed.

 

JOSEF

It hurts!

 

He is strapped down to the bed, and then left alone in the room, the heavy metal door closing behind him.

 

Josef struggles against the leather bindings, continuing to scream as the viewing slot in the door is closed. He is abandoned to his pain.

 

Sometime later we see that Karpov is working at a desk in the hallway outside of the cells. He’s taking notes when he notices that the screaming has stopped. It’s quiet.

 

Karpov stands up and goes over to the cell, opening the viewing slot. Josef is awake, but no longer fighting. He’s still and quiet. Karpov watches him and Josef watches back.

 

We CUT TO a small lab, with Josef sitting on a bed. Another DOCTOR has just finished examining him. The doctor looks over at Karpov and nods.

 

We then CUT TO Bucky and Josef squaring off in a barred chamber. They fight fiercely, as equals. The four others who were given the blue liquid are also there, arms folded, watching.

 

Josef lands a massive kick at Bucky that sends him flying. Karpov, who we see has also been watching, steps forward.

 

KARPOV

Good work.

 

Karpov nods to a medic, who starts checking on Josef’s pulse etc. Josef grabs the medic and slams him into the floor.

 

Immediately a HYDRA soldier steps forward, clubbing Josef in the back of the head. It has no affect on Josef other than pissing him off.

 

Karpov, sensing the danger he is in, gets behind Bucky (who has gotten to his feet) and pulls out a small handgun.

 

KARPOV (CONT’D)

Get me out of here.

 

An alarm blares as the five other super soldiers grow violent and HYDRA solders rush in to try and subdue them. The super soldiers take care of the guards easily. Bucky, keeping Karpov protected, fights his way to the exit of the barred chamber, batting aside guards and super soldiers alike as he gets Karpov to safety.

 

STEVE V.O.

Who were they?

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. WAREHOUSE - DAY

 

We cut back to the present.

 

BUCKY

Their most elite death squad. More kills than anyone in HYDRA history. And that was before the serum.

 

STEVE

They all turn out like you?

 

BUCKY

Worse.

 

STEVE

The doctor, could he control them?

 

BUCKY

Enough.

 

STEVE

Sounds like just the kind of people Rumlow would need to get HYDRA back at the top of the food chain.

 

BUCKY

With these guys he could do it. They speak 30 languages, can hide in plain sight, infiltrate, assassinate, destabilize, They can take a whole country down in one night. You'd never see them coming.

 

STEVE

Then we have to get to them first.

 

SHARON

May I talk to you for a second?

 

Her tone clearly states that this is an order, not a request. Steve follows Sharon to the other side of the warehouse, out of earshot.

 

SHARON (CONT’D)

Are you seriously considering letting him go.

 

STEVE

He’s-

 

SHARON

Your best friend. I get it. But he’s also unstable. He needs 24 hour surveillance and a therapist. The worst thing for his mental state would be to put him in a position where he could be put under someone else’s control again - or trigger him. God knows how much PTSD he has after all of this.

 

STEVE

If we could get through this without him I’d send him straight to the tower but I can’t, Sharon, he’s the only one who has the information that we need.

 

SHARON

And how much of that information is buried under dozens of mind-wipes and brainwashing and trauma?

 

Steve sighs and walks back over to Bucky, crouching down so they’re on the same level.

 

STEVE

I’m going to need you to be straight with me, Buck. How much do you remember? And don’t play coy.

 

BUCKY

Are you insulting my flirting methods?

 

Steve rolls his eyes.

 

BUCKY (CONT’D)

Thing is, I... I don’t really know myself. It’s hard to tell. Some days I’m walking around with this constant feeling of deja vu. But I don’t always know if it’s actual deja vu or if it’s just my mind playing tricks on me. Sometimes it feels like I’m a stranger in my own body.

 

He looks up at Steve, hurt and broken but earnest.

 

BUCKY (CONT’D)

I want to walk away from this, but I can’t. Not until I make sure that they can’t make another one of me. Please let me help.

 

STEVE

All right.

 

He releases the winch that has Bucky’s arm in place. Bucky checks the arm for damage and then stands up, shaking out his limbs.

 

STEVE (CONT’D)

Do you remember where this facility is?

 

BUCKY

Not yet, but I know where to find the place that will tell us where it is.

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. ABANDONED HYDRA BASE - AFTERNOON

 

It’s late afternoon as Steve, Sharon, and Bucky break into this old facility. It’s clear that no one has been here for a long time.

 

SHARON

I think the cobwebs have cobwebs.

 

STEVE

I doubt even Sin remembers this place exists.

 

BUCKY

That girl’s still alive?

 

STEVE

Long story.

 

SHARON

Let’s find this stuff and get out of here, this place gives me the creeps.

 

Bucky has stopped in front of a row of computers. These are old computers, probably haven’t been touched for about ten years. Bucky is gripping a chair and staring down, breathing very carefully through his nose.

 

STEVE

You okay?

 

Bucky shakes his head, mute. He’s having an episode.

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. ABANDONED HYDRA BASE - DAY

 

We are now in the HYDRA base, but it’s populated with HYDRA personnel. It’s clearly back in time, at least in Bucky’s mind.

 

Bucky stares around him, but nobody seems to notice that he’s upset or acting unusually.

 

KARPOV

Shut it down.

 

Bucky turns and we see Karpov standing behind another HYDRA agent who’s working on a computer.

 

KARPOV (CONT’D)

Bury it.

 

HYDRA AGENT

Sir, this was years of work. Pierce won’t be happy about this.

 

KARPOV

I will deal with Pierce when the time comes. These soldiers are too unstable.

 

HYDRA AGENT

Yes, sir.

 

Karpov looks over at Bucky.

 

KARPOV

Besides. We have all we will ever need in a soldier, right here. We’ll never be foolish enough to shut him down.

 

It’s a very “we’ll never let you go” moment and we can see the panic rising inside of Bucky.

 

We hear another voice, Sharon’s voice, speaking as if from very far away.

 

SHARON

Sergeant Barnes, I need you to breathe with me for a moment.

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. ABANDONED HYDRA BASE - DAY

 

We’re back in the present moment. Bucky looks up, staring ahead, clearly not seeing what’s actually in front of him.

 

STEVE

Buck? You need to stay with me, okay?

 

After a moment, Bucky turns and looks over at Steve.

 

STEVE (CONT’D)

Who am I talking to?

 

BUCKY

I’m sorry, I... this happens.

 

He searches his body.

 

BUCKY (CONT’D)

My notebooks, I write, I need to-

 

Sharon quickly grabs a handful of dusty papers, blows on them, and hands them to Bucky, but Steve already has his own moleskin notebook out along with his pen.

 

STEVE

Use this.

 

BUCKY

No, it’s yours-

 

STEVE

C’mon, it’s okay. I don’t mind what you see.

 

Bucky reluctantly takes the notebook and pen and begins scribbling furiously.

 

Sharon watches, a little unsure, while Steve understands. He pulls her away.

 

STEVE (CONT’D)

Why don’t we start looking through the computer files.

 

Sharon nods and sits down at one of the computers, wiping it off and starting to reboot it. Steve begins opening filing cabinets and looking through the files.

 

After a minute, Steve looks up to see Bucky handing him his notebook.

 

Steve takes it back.

 

STEVE (CONT’D)

I won’t read any of it.

 

BUCKY

Go ahead. I saw a bit of what you wrote.

 

STEVE

It’s not the same as you. It’s not trying to remember anything. It’s trying to learn about all the things that I missed.

 

BUCKY

You sure about that?

 

He flips open a page and shows Steve what’s written there. It’s a list of dates.

 

BUCKY (CONT’D)

These are the times we went to the Bridge Cafe.

 

Bucky flips to another page, which has song lyrics on it.

 

BUCKY (CONT’D)

This is the song that one girl, what was her name... she lived across the street. She’d sing it while she was hanging her laundry.

 

STEVE

Her name was Gina.

 

Bucky nods.

 

BUCKY

Yeah, that was it. Gina.

 

He hands the notebook back to Steve, who takes it.

 

BUCKY (CONT’D)

I never know what will trigger something. And then it feels so real, more real than where I actually am. But then other times it’s like a wisp of smoke. I can’t grasp it, I just know that I’m forgetting it. And then there are times where I don’t remember, I just suddenly... know. Like I knew that I knew you. Thing is, I remember a lot of my HYDRA missions easily. Not all of them. But they come back more easily than the... the stuff before.

 

He looks up at Steve, and we see that his face is full of hurt.

 

BUCKY (CONT’D)

How is that fair?

 

Steve looks torn. It’s not fair, not at all.

 

STEVE

I have a friend. Tony. He has PTSD. He’s been seeing someone. I bet he’ll be able to help you out.

 

Sharon chuckles.

 

SHARON

And if he can’t, Miss Potts certainly can.

 

Bucky considers this, then nods.

 

BUCKY

If you trust him... then I trust him.

 

Steve reaches out, hesitantly, slowly, and puts his hand on Bucky’s shoulder. Bucky allows it, relaxes into it.

 

STEVE

We’ll figure this out.

 

Bucky smiles a little, like he actually is allowing himself to believe things will get better.

 

SHARON

I think I’ve got it!

 

Bucky and Steve hurry to look over her shoulders. Sharon has pulled up lists of HYDRA bases, correspondence, etc.

 

She points.

 

SHARON (CONT’D)

Here. It’s in Siberia.

 

BUCKY

That sounds right.

 

SHARON

This computer’s on its last legs. See if you can find the corresponding paper files.

 

Bucky and Steve quickly go through the paper files, searching for the information. They find it.

 

BUCKY

This is it. These are the people they chose.

 

He shows Steve files that show the five people chosen to be made into super soldiers that we saw earlier.

 

BUCKY (CONT’D)

Years ago, I remember HYDRA did an exchange with the Red Room. I trained one of their best recruits and looked for ways their curriculum could improve, and they shared some of their training methods with HYDRA. HYDRA used this to train ten assassins.

 

STEVE

Where are the other five?

 

BUCKY

Dead. They didn’t survive the first round of the serum.

 

STEVE

How likely is it that Rumlow already knows where this facility is?

 

BUCKY

Very likely.

 

SHARON

Romanoff’s released files showed that Rumlow had third-highest level of clearance in HYDRA. I would say the only people with higher clearance were the leaders like Pierce.

 

STEVE

Then he’s probably already on his way there. We’d better get moving.

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. SUPER SOLDIER FACILITY - DAY

 

We come in on the frozen tundra of Siberia. The wind is howling and a light snow is falling. It must be absolutely freezing.

 

The camera moves and we see that there is a base out here. It’s half-buried in snow, but that seems to have been because HYDRA purposefully dug the base into the ground so it wouldn’t easily be found.

 

We CUT TO a close up of the base’s entrance. Snow has been swept in front of it from so many years of disuse.

 

Rumlow appears, carrying his helmet but wearing a bit coat to keep out the chill.

 

Rumlow punches in a code and we hear the creaking and groaning as the doors slowly slide open.

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. SUPER SOLDIER FACILITY - DAY

 

Rumlow enters the dark hideout. Inside it’s a vast, gloomy place, cramped with shelves filled with filing boxes. This clearly was turned into a storage unit of some kind at some point in HYDRA history. The boxes are labelled haphazardly, with no proper filing system in place.

 

Rumlow moves on into another room through a tunnel that opens up into a chamber with a high ceiling. Standing around the chamber are five large, clear sided capsules that have an eerie yellow glow inside.

 

Turning on a flashlight, Rumlow approaches one of the capsules, shining it inside. We see the suspended body of Josef. These are where the super soldiers are kept.

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. SUPER SOLDIER FACILITY - DAY

 

Three snowmobiles ride up to the facility, carrying Steve, Bucky, and Sharon. Steve and Bucky, being super soldiers, are dressed in pretty much their regular armor. Sharon, however, has bundled herself up in a parka.

 

The three park and dismount, approaching the facility.

 

BUCKY

I don’t remember the combination.

(pause)

Did they even tell me the combination?

 

SHARON

Don’t worry, I’ve got this.

 

She pulls out some hacking tools and begins working on hot wiring the lock a la Hans Solo on Endor.

 

BUCKY

What do we do if he’s woken them up?

 

STEVE

We’ll take them down.

 

BUCKY

They’re stronger than I am, Steve, and more violent. They’re practically animals.

 

STEVE

Don’t you trust me?

 

Bucky nods.

 

STEVE (CONT’D)

You got this.

 

Sharon gets the door open.

 

SHARON

Success!

 

They make to enter the facility. Steve stops Sharon.

 

STEVE

Just wanted to say, I’m sorry. You were right, you were just doing your job. I know how hard it can be to struggle with orders. And when the time came, you did the right thing.

 

SHARON

Fury just wanted to protect you. He knew you’d be a major target if someone wanted to make a statement. I never wanted to lie to you.

 

STEVE

It feels good to fight side by side with a Carter again.

 

SHARON

I spent my childhood hearing all about Aunt Peggy’s friend Steve. It’s good to know you’re as reckless and annoying as she always said.

 

Steve laughs and the two head inside.

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. SUPER SOLDIER FACILITY - DAY

 

Steve and Bucky stride through the facility, clearly not interested in stealth. Sharon, meanwhile, is being a very good trained agent and is going stealth behind them, gun and flashlight up in trained procedure, carefully sweeping around to check for traps or assailants.

 

Steve gets distracted by the files and begins rifling through them.

 

STEVE

Look at these.

 

Bucky and Sharon move over.

 

STEVE (CONT’D)

This looks like the hard copies of everything Natasha released - and from before that.

 

SHARON

Looks like not all of this got converted into computer format. Probably took too much manpower.

 

STEVE

Nice to know even villainous bigoted multi-national secret organizations struggle with bureaucracy.

 

Sharon pulls out some files and leafs through them.

 

SHARON

The information in these could change history.

 

She holds up a file that shows a picture of and information on President John F. Kennedy.

Bucky flashes back.

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. ROOFTOP IN TEXAS - DAY

 

It’s 1963. There’s a motorcade going on in the street below. Bucky lies down flat on the rooftop and takes aim.

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. SUPER SOLDIER FACILITY - DAY

 

We cut back to the present but still hear the sound of the gun going off, then screaming. Someone shouts, “Mr. President!”

 

STEVE

Buck?

 

Bucky gestures helplessly. Steve hands him the notebook and pen. Bucky scribbles furiously. We see that he’s writing down not facts (aka not “I shot President Kennedy”) but impressions, things he remembers from that day (”it was hot,” “phantom limb itched,” “type of gun I used” etc).

 

Sharon stares at Bucky, and then the files.

 

SHARON

My superiors are going to have a field day over this.

 

From beyond them, down the tunnel, comes the sound of something moving. Bucky quickly hands the notebook and pen back to Steve, who pockets it (although where the hell he’s keeping it on that skintight suit, we have no clue).

 

Steve takes his shield off his shoulder. Bucky flexes his arm. Sharon clips her flashlight to her belt and brings up her gun.

 

The three slowly and quietly make their way through the tunnel... and emerge in the chamber.

Standing in the middle of the chamber is Rumlow, now with his Crossbones armor and helmet on. Standing in front of him is Josef, awakened.

 

JOSEF

[In Russian] - Ready to comply.

 

STEVE

This’ll be fun.

 

BUCKY

I did warn you.

The “you reckless idiot” is implied.

 

Rumlow turns and sees them.

 

RUMLOW

Hello boys! And girl.

 

Sharon gives Rumlow a sarcastic little curtsy.

 

STEVE

Give it up, Rumlow. You can’t control them.

 

RUMLOW

As a matter of fact I can, thanks to this.

 

He brandishes Karpov’s notebook with all of the command codes in it.

 

RUMLOW (CONT’D)

With these soldiers, HYDRA will be able to take back what you stole from us. In fact, we’ll be able to take everything we’ve always wanted. The world will be ours.

 

STEVE

Are you guys never going to learn? It doesn’t work. It never does. You keep fighting from your high ground of supposed superiority, and yet you never have the control and power that you crave. It’s never there. And it never will be.

 

RUMLOW

(Clapping) - Brave speech. Such an idealist. He really sounds like Captain America there, doesn’t he?

 

Sharon just glares.

 

RUMLOW (CONT’D)

Maybe you’re incorruptible. Maybe you really do believe in all of that stuff. But you can’t save a world that doesn’t want to be saved.

 

He looks over at Bucky.

 

RUMLOW (CONT’D)

Or a person.

 

Bucky steps forward menacingly.

 

RUMLOW (CONT’D)

Longing.

 

BUCKY

(Anguished) - NO!

 

He launches himself at Rumlow.

 

RUMLOW

(At Josef) - Kill them!

 

Josef attacks. He has no weapons, but he doesn’t need them - he himself is a weapon.

 

Steve leaps into action, getting in between Josef and Bucky and taking on Josef while Bucky goes after Rumlow.

 

STEVE

Sharon! Make sure the others don’t wake up!

 

SHARON

On it!

 

RUMLOW

Longing! Rusted!

 

Bucky growls as he furiously punches at Rumlow. Rumlow isn’t a super soldier, but Bucky’s emotional and upset, and Rumlow isn’t. The emotional imbalance is giving Rumlow an edge.

 

RUMLOW (CONT’D)

Seventeen! Daybreak! Furnace!

 

Bucky manages to pick up Rumlow and throw him. Sharon ducks out of the way as she hurries to the containers, examining them to try and figure out how to shut them down and kill the soldiers inside.

 

SHARON

Why do these things never have a button that says “off.”

 

Steve tries to hold his own against Josef but it’s proving to be more difficult than he anticipated. Josef is like Bucky said - no control, no finesse, just raw violence and power. He’s an animal.

 

BUCKY

You need help?

 

Steve gets punched so hard he goes flying back into the wall.

 

STEVE

I got him!

 

BUCKY

(Grumbling) - Of course you say that.

 

SHARON

I can’t think of a way to shut it off!

 

RUMLOW

Nine!

 

STEVE

Shut them off!? You’ll kill them!

 

SHARON

Kill the mind-controlled super soldiers? Yes! Yes it will!

 

STEVE

We can’t kill them!

 

SHARON

If they wake up they will kill us! And God knows who else!

 

RUMLOW

Benign!

 

BUCKY

Shut up, shut up!

 

He punches wildly at Rumlow. Steve realizes what’s happening and tries to get to Bucky, but Josef’s in the way.

 

STEVE

Sharon! Stop him, stop Rumlow from talking!

 

Sharon switches gears and runs towards Rumlow, drawing out her batons.

 

RUMLOW

Homecoming!

 

BUCKY

(In anguish) - No! I won’t let you!

 

Steve throws his shield. Josef pins Steve up against the wall, arm against Steve’s throat, but the shield comes flying back and knocks Josef in the head. Josef and Steve’s heads get banged together but it succeeds in knocking Josef unconscious. Steve rubs at his head.

 

SHARON

Sergeant Barnes, listen, you don’t have to listen to him! Listen to me! Focus on me!

 

RUMLOW

One!

 

SHARON

Don’t listen!

 

RUMLOW

Freight car!

 

Bucky goes completely still and limp. Standing in neutral. Waiting for orders.

 

SHARON

(Softly) - No.

 

STEVE

Buck. Bucky!

 

Rumlow indicates Sharon.

 

RUMLOW

Kill them.

 

Bucky advances on Sharon, who slowly backs away. She’s scared, although trying not to show it.

 

Steve throws his shield. Just as in The Winter Soldier film, Bucky catches it. He turns his head slowly to look at Steve.

 

STEVE

You want a fight? Huh? Come at me.

 

Bucky slowly turns to advance on Steve.

 

STEVE (CONT’D)

Yeah, that’s right, pick on someone your own size.

 

Sharon slowly backs away.

 

STEVE (CONT’D)

C’mon, Bucky, talk to me here. You’re fighting to get out, I know you are.

 

RUMLOW

Do you know that? Do you?

 

Sharon slowly backs into the wall, out of the way. As she does, she bumps into something. She turns around.

 

It’s the fuse box and controls for the electricity in the room, perhaps in the entire building.

 

RUMLOW (CONT’D)

This is what you were supposed to be, Rogers. You don’t know how many times I told Pierce that we needed to implant the same codes in you. What use is a gun that won’t fire? What good is a weapon that thinks for itself?

 

Sharon opens the fuse box and starts looking for the right switches.

 

Bucky and Steve circle each other while Rumlow watches, grinning.

 

On the floor, unnoticed, Josef slowly starts to stir to wakefulness.

 

RUMLOW (CONT’D)

It’s amazing, how liberating it is. To have no control. And Barnes here knows it. He knows that this is what he was meant for.

 

STEVE

Don’t listen to him, Bucky, listen to me. I know you’re in there. You can fight this. I know it’s hard but you can fight it.

 

Bucky cocks his head at him, and for a moment, we think that Bucky might actually have come back.

 

Then he growls and launches himself at Steve, and we see that he’s still under the mind control.

 

SHARON

Gotcha!

 

She flips a switch and then yanks out a few wires. The entire room goes dark and an alarm starts blaring:

 

ALARM

Cryo tubes critical. Cryo tubes critical.

 

RUMLOW

No!

 

He comes at her but Sharon whips around, spin-kicking him in the face. She pulls out her batons.

 

Josef gets to his feet. The room is now pretty dark, illuminated only by the cold winter sunlight filtering in through the windows. The cyro tubes are dark as well - we can see the life support systems on them failing. The four remaining super soldiers in them are dead.

 

RUMLOW (CONT’D)

(At Josef) - Kill her!

 

Sharon drops into her fight stance as both Rumlow and Josef come at her. Her body languages clearly says: bring it.

 

Steve and Bucky, on the other hand, are fighting once again - but this time Steve is continuing to talk to him.

 

STEVE

I know you’re in there. Bucky. Your name is James Buchanan Barnes. You have three sisters!

 

Sharon takes on both Rumlow and Josef with her batons. It’s the hardest fight of her life and we can see it, but she’s not backing down or giving an inch. She’s going to destroy these men if it’s the last thing that she does.

 

STEVE (CONT’D)

Hey!

 

He manages to get an arm at Bucky’s throat and drives him back up against the wall.

 

STEVE (CONT’D)

You remember what you were saying when I found you the first time? Huh? After I’d had the serum?

 

We see flashes as Bucky remembers the events of _Captain America: The First Avenger_. It’s the scene where Steve finds Bucky lying on the experimentation table.

 

STEVE (CONT’D)

They were already trying to brainwash you weren’t they. They’d already started experimenting. But you weren’t giving in.

 

In the flashback, we hear Bucky lying on the table reciting:

 

BUCKY

Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes, 32557038...

 

STEVE

You fought back, Bucky, and I know you’re fighting back now.

 

BUCKY

(As if in a trance) - James Buchanan Barnes. 32557038.

 

Steve nods.

 

STEVE

Yeah. Yeah, that’s you.

 

Rumlow sees that Steve has got Bucky talking and he leaves the fight with Sharon, coming after them.

 

RUMLOW

You’re not ruining things this time, Rogers!

 

Bucky turns, and we see the spark come back into his eyes.

 

BUCKY

Hey!

 

He shakes Steve off and grabs Rumlow’s hand as Rumlow tries to punch Steve.

 

BUCKY (CONT’D)

Leave my friend alone.

 

It’s clear that Bucky’s not in the present - he’s back in the 1930s/40s, but it doesn’t matter. He’s Bucky again, and he’s going to beat the snot out of whatever jerk just tried to attack Steve.

 

Sharon is continuing to take on Josef, and she’s starting to realize that she can’t win this fight. She grits her teeth.

 

Bucky and Rumlow start to go at it. Steve joins in. Bucky’s clearly still struggling with his mind control, and he will occasionally turn and punch Steve instead, but then he wrestles it back under again.

 

Rumlow is beginning to be overwhelmed. This is the first time he’s had both Bucky and Steve at him at once. Slowly but surely, he starts to go down.

 

Bucky’s beating Rumlow into a pulp. All of his anger at being brainwashed is coming out onto Rumlow. Steve starts to pull back.

 

STEVE

Bucky - Buck!

 

Sharon gets pinned by Josef. He growls at her, ready to deliver the killing blow.

 

JOSEF

[In Russian] - Pathetic.

 

SHARON

Can... your serum... beat this?

 

She manages to draw her gun out of her holster and fires it right up into Josef’s face.

 

He falls down, dead.

 

Sharon coughs and gasps for breath.

 

SHARON (CONT’D)

Didn’t think so.

 

Bucky continues to beat the everloving shit out of Rumlow.

 

STEVE

Bucky - Bucky stop!

 

Steve manages to pull Bucky back, but Bucky draws his gun and aims it at Rumlow.

 

STEVE (CONT’D)

Stop. He’ll face justice. We need to bring him back.

 

Sharon manages to get Josef’s body off of her and stumbles to her feet, watching this unfold.

 

STEVE (CONT’D)

You don’t have to kill anymore.

 

BUCKY

I can’t have anyone alive know the code. If he knows, he can use it, or he can tell someone else to use it.

 

STEVE

Don’t do this. This isn’t you.

 

Bucky slowly looks up and into Steve’s eyes.

 

BUCKY

I was never a good guy, Steve. Even when I was one of the good guys.

 

Without even looking at Rumlow, he pulls the trigger. We hear the gun go off and Rumlow grunt, and then he slumps to the ground, dead.

 

Steve and Bucky stare at each other. Steve isn’t sure what to do with this, and Bucky is worried about Steve’s reaction.

 

SHARON

I’m gonna... radio Maria. She’ll want to let the government know about all of these... files...

 

She slowly backs out of the room.

 

STEVE

Is that what you really think of yourself?

 

Bucky looks away.

 

BUCKY

I was the sniper, Steve. I killed.

 

STEVE

We all did.

 

BUCKY

Not like me. I don’t know if it’s better or worse, doing it in the heat of battle, but... there’s something about sitting there, calmly waiting, pulling the trigger...

 

He looks back up at Steve.

 

BUCKY (CONT’D)

It never would have worked with you. You never would have allowed them to do this to you. But me... maybe this was already in me.

 

STEVE

Right, you got into dozens of fights you didn’t need to growing up because I couldn’t keep my damn mouth shut, and you’re an awful person. You worked a second job to help take care of your sisters and you insisted I move in with you after my mom died because you’re awful.

 

BUCKY

Killers have families too, Steve.

 

He looks down at Rumlow.

 

BUCKY (CONT’D)

He had a girlfriend. And I think his mom was still alive. He might have had siblings.

 

STEVE

You’re not him.

 

BUCKY

(Bitterly) - No, I’m not. He got to act of his own free will.

 

STEVE

It’s over, Buck. He’s gone. The other soldiers are gone. HYDRA is dead. We can go home.

 

BUCKY

Home?

 

Steve nods.

 

STEVE

Wherever my home is, it’s yours too. It’s my turn to take you in.

 

Bucky nods, collapsing a little, and Steve hugs him. Bucky clings to him, the one thing he’s certain about when he can’t even trust his own mind.

 

BUCKY

(Whispering) - I do. I want to be saved. I just don’t know if I can be.

 

STEVE

You can. You will.

 

Sharon walks back in and sees them hugging. She pauses in the doorway and smiles sadly. It’s happy to see them bonding and together again, but sad because they still have so far to go.

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. STARK LIVING ROOM - DAY

 

TONY STARK, aka IRON MAN, is lying on a couch in a living room. This isn’t the Tony Stark that we know, though - he’s younger, in his early or mid-20s.

 

Maria Stark comes over and gently shakes Tony’s shoulder. She’s wearing the same outfit as in the car crash.

 

MARIA

Try to remember the kind of September... when the grass was green... Wake up, dear, and say goodbye to your father.

 

Tony slowly slumps up to a sitting position. Howard Stark appears. He is also dressed the same as on the day he is murdered.

 

HOWARD

Who’s the homeless person on the couch?

 

Tony stands.

 

TONY

This is why I love coming home for Christmas... right before you leave town.

 

MARIA

(To Howard) - Be nice, dear, he’s been studying abroad.

 

HOWARD

Oh, really? Which broad? What’s her name?

 

TONY

Candice.

 

The irony of Howard Stark, of all people, chastising his son for sleeping around and partying, is not lost on anyone.

 

HOWARD

Do me a favour? Try not to burn the house down before Monday.

 

TONY

Okay, so it's Monday. That is good to know. I will plan my toga party accordingly. Where you going?

 

MARIA

Your father's flying us to the Bahamas for a little getaway.

 

Tony notices the suitcase that Howard Stark has in his hand - the same one that Bucky stole from the trunk of the car.

 

HOWARD

We might have to make a quick stop.

 

TONY

At the Pentagon, right? Don't worry, you're gonna love the holiday menu at the commissary.

 

HOWARD

You know, they say sarcasm is a metric for potential. If that's true, you'll be a great man some day.

 

TONY

Tell me, does Aunt Peggy approve of this new project you won’t tell anyone about? Or is that why she’s stopped coming by the house?

 

HOWARD

I’ll go get the bags.

 

He leaves the room.

 

MARIA

He does miss you when you are not here. And frankly, you're going to miss us. Because this is the last time we're all going to be together. You know what's about to happen. Say something. If you don't, you'll regret it.

 

We start to realize that this is in fact the day that the Starks were murdered - it’s also not the actual day. Something is off.

 

Howard Stark returns. Tony goes up to him.

 

TONY

I love you, Dad. And I know you did the best you could.

 

The image freezes, and then slowly dissolves and we find ourselves in...

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. MIT LECTURE HALL - DAY

 

...a massive lecture hall at MIT. Tony Stark, the one that we recognize, is standing on stage. There’s a kind of bluetooth-headset combo on his head. He addresses the audience.

 

TONY

That's how I wished it happened. Binarily Augmented Retro-Framing... or BARF. God, I gotta work on that acronym. An extremely costly method of hijacking the hippocampus... to clear traumatic memories.

 

There is a bit of laughter.

 

TONY (CONT’D)

It doesn't change the fact that they never made it to the airport... or all the things I did to avoid processing my grief, but...

 

He clears his throat.

 

TONY (CONT’D)

Plus, 611 million dollars for my little therapeutic experiment? No one in the right mind would've ever funded it. Help me out, what's the MIT mission statement?

 

The students say the motto along with Tony.

 

TONY (CONT’D)

"To generate, disseminate... and preserve knowledge. And work with others... to bring it to bear on the world's great challenges."

 

Tony continues on his own.

 

TONY (CONT’D)

Well, you are the others. And, quiet as it's kept... the challenges facing you are the greatest mankind's ever known. Plus, most of you are broke. Oh, I'm sorry. Rather, you were. As of this moment... every student has been made an equal recipient... of the Inaugural September Foundation Grant. As in... all of your projects have just been approved and funded. No strings, no taxes... just re-frame the future! Starting now.

 

The students start gasping and cheering in total disbelief. Some are crying.

 

TONY (CONT’D)

And now, I’d like to introduce the head of the Foundation, Miss Pepper Potts.

 

PEPPER POTTS comes out of the side of the stage and steps forward. As she does so, she gently squeezes Tony’s hand.

 

Pepper takes center stage and begins talking about the foundation and how it works.

 

Tony steps backstage, admiring Pepper, when he feels his phone vibrating. He picks it up. We see STEVE on the screen.

 

Tony ducks farther backstage, answering the call.

 

TONY (CONT’D)

Hey, Stripes, is there an emergency?

 

STEVE V.O.

Not exactly. Remember that memory thing you told me about?

 

TONY

Yeah, I just showed it off to a bunch of MIT students.

 

STEVE

I know I’m asking you for a big favor, but do you think I could use it?

 

TONY

What, you want to relive the glory days of Coney Island?

 

STEVE

It’s not me. It’s for a friend.

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. TONY’S WORKSHOP - DAY

 

We are now in Tony’s workshop in his (now rebuilt) Los Angeles home.

 

Tony walks around, with Bucky and Steve following. Bucky seems rather uncomfortable. Tony’s clearly been giving them the grand tour.

 

TONY

And this, of course, is the workshop.

 

He walks over and hands Bucky the memory headset.

 

TONY (CONT’D)

It helps if you recall a sense memory about the thing you’re trying to remember.

 

Bucky nods, hesitantly putting the headset on.

 

TONY (CONT’D)

The memories can kind of get away from you at first. So don’t be surprised if it just free associates.

 

Bucky closes his eyes, and we are suddenly plunged into a government building of some kind. Several leaders are having an argument - this appears to be the 1970s. There are leaders of different nationalities, predominantly Asian.

 

Bucky, dressed as a maintenance worker, quietly installs a bomb in one of the vents. He walks away as we see from the subtitles that the leaders are discussing the “Vietnam situation.”

 

Bucky exits the building as it blows up behind him.

 

Bucky yanks the headset off and the images dissolve.

 

BUCKY

I don’t - I don’t want to see those.

 

TONY

In all fairness we probably should see those, people are going to want to know the extent of your missions.

 

STEVE

We found HYDRA files for that.

 

He approaches Bucky cautiously.

 

STEVE (CONT’D)

Why don’t we find some pictures to help, so you can remember the things you want to?

 

BUCKY

Like in the Smithsonian?

 

Tony snaps his fingers.

 

TONY

You knew my dad, right?

 

He dashes away and comes back with a photo.

 

TONY (CONT’D)

Maybe this’ll help jog your memory.

 

He hands Bucky a photo of Howard Stark with Maria - but it’s not the young Howard Stark that Bucky would have known, it’s Howard before he was killed.

 

STEVE

Tony, that’s from years after he knew him, he needs something from the 1940s, don’t you have any war photos?

 

TONY

In a box somewhere, sure...

 

Bucky stares at the photo and has another memory - the memory of the night he killed the Starks.

 

The room around them changes as the memory takes hold. Tony and Steve stand in shock as they find themselves on the forest road.

 

TONY (CONT’D)

This looks familiar.

 

STEVE

Bucky? Where are we?

 

Bucky doesn’t say anything.

 

We see the same scene as before - the death of the Starks. But now, we see Steve and Tony’s reactions to it. Steve is confused and upset but resigned - he knows that things like this would be in Bucky’s memory.

 

Tony, however, is completely livid. Understandably so.

 

We see Howard once again look up into Bucky’s face and say, “Barnes?”

 

Tony slowly turns and looks over at Bucky.

 

STEVE (CONT’D)

Tony...

 

Bucky, in the memory, kills Maria Stark.

 

Tony, full of rage, launches himself at Bucky. Bucky is in shock as well, staring in horror at the scene, and isn’t prepared to defend himself.

 

Steve gets in the way, grabbing Tony’s wrists and stopping him.

 

STEVE (CONT’D)

It’s not his fault! Tony, he was under mind control!

 

TONY

What kind of bullshit excuse is that?

 

He stares at Steve and realizes something.

 

TONY (CONT’D)

Did you know?

 

STEVE

I didn’t know it was him.

 

TONY

Don’t bullshit me, Rogers! Did you know?

 

Steve doesn’t reply, but his face says it all.

 

Despite not being a super soldier, Tony manages to throw Steve off of him.

 

TONY (CONT’D)

You knew!

 

STEVE

What good would it have done by telling you?

 

BUCKY

I...

 

He rips the headset off and doesn’t say anything more, chest heaving.

 

Tony spreads his arms, and his armor starts to come out and assemble.

 

STEVE

Tony, he can’t control himself!

 

Steve looks over at Bucky, who is clearly having a panic attack.

 

STEVE (CONT’D)

Bucky, get out of here!

 

Tony has fully assembled his suit. He aims at Bucky, but Steve gets in the way.

 

STEVE (CONT’D)

It wasn’t him! HYDRA had control of his mind!

 

TONY

Move!

 

STEVE

It wasn’t him!

 

Tony fires at Bucky, who jumps, completely startled. Steve launches himself at Tony, still keeping himself between Tony and Bucky.

 

TONY

You killed my parents!

 

STEVE

Bucky! Run!

 

Bucky finally manages to snap out of his panic attack and sprints for the exit.

 

Tony tries to fly after Bucky, but Steve smashes Tony’s left boot. We hear the voice of FRIDAY, the program that replaced JARVIS.

 

FRIDAY

Left boot jet failing. Flight systems compromised.

 

TONY

Crap.

 

Steve tackles Tony, who starts up his jets and flies Steve into the wall.

 

Bucky turns around, wanting to help Steve.

 

STEVE

He’s not going to stop! Go!

 

Bucky hurries out. Steve manages to get a hold of Tony and punches him. Tony blasts Steve and sends him flying across the room. Tony then goes after Bucky, quickly catching up with him.

 

Tony and Bucky go at it - but there’s a clear difference in their attacks. Bucky is purely defensive while Tony is not only offensive but wild, uncoordinated, fueled by grief.

 

TONY

Do you even remember them!?

 

He grabs a nearby piece of furniture and smashes it into Bucky, who reels back for a moment, disoriented.

 

Steve comes out from the side, tackling Tony.

 

STEVE

This isn’t going to change what happened!

 

TONY

You think I care? He killed my mom!

 

Tony gets the upper hand on Steve, and then advances on Bucky. FRIDAY does an analysis of Bucky.

 

FRIDAY

You can’t beat him hand to hand.

 

Tony and Bucky begin fighting once again.

 

TONY

Analyze his fighting pattern.

 

FRIDAY

Scanning. Countermeasures ready.

 

TONY

Let’s kick his ass.

 

Steve once again comes to the rescue, getting in between Tony and Bucky.

 

STEVE

I can’t let you. He’s my friend.

 

Tony stares at him, hurt.

 

TONY

So was I.

 

Steve holds up the shield. Tony raises his hand with the blaster on it.

 

TONY (CONT’D)

Stay down. Final warning.

 

He blasts Steve, who resists using the shield.

 

STEVE

I can do this all day.

 

TONY

That shield does not belong to you. You don't deserve it! My father made that shield!

 

Steve, yelling as the blast continues to bombard him, manages to get close enough to Tony to smack him with the shield. He pummels him again, and again, driving Tony into the ground. Steve’s protectiveness of Bucky has shown an angry, out of control side of him that we’ve only seen once before: when Bucky fell from the train.

 

It gets to where Steve has literally ripped off part of Tony’s mask. We can now see Tony’s face - his angry but scared face.

 

Steve stops, stares down. He’s realizing what he’s done.

 

Steve takes a step back, breathing heavily. Tony slowly gets to his feet.

 

TONY (CONT’D)

Get out.

 

Steve is still in a bit of shock at what he’s done to Tony.

 

TONY (CONT’D)

GET! OUT!

 

Steve books it.

 

Tony collapses.

 

TONY (CONT’D)

Suit off.

 

FRIDAY

Yes, sir.

 

The suit, or what remains of it, falls off of Tony. He looks around at the completely destroyed room.

 

There is the sound of a door opening and closing, and then someone in heels walking into the room.

 

PEPPER O.S.

Tony, did I just see- OH MY GOD.

 

Pepper enters the room and sees the mess. She hurries over to Tony.

 

PEPPER

What happened? Is everything okay?

 

Tony slowly stands up. Takes a deep breath. Shakes his head.

 

PEPPER (CONT’D)

Tony?

 

We see that Tony is starting to cry. Pepper quickly wraps him up in a hug.

 

PEPPER (CONT’D)

It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s okay.

 

Over on the table, forgotten, Tony’s phone buzzes. The name MARIA HILL pops up on the screen as the caller I.D.

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. STREET OUTSIDE AVENGER’S TOWER - DAY

 

Steve carefully leads a nervous and unsure Bucky down the street.

 

BUCKY

So that’s it.

 

He indicates the Avenger’s Tower up ahead.

 

STEVE

Yup. We’ll settle you into my floor. Just until we find you a place of your own.

 

BUCKY

Can’t live in a place that’s funded by Stark.

 

STEVE

He’ll come around.

 

Bucky clearly doesn’t believe him.

 

Steve’s phone buzzes. He pulls it out. It’s MARIA HILL.

 

Steve lets it go to voicemail. As he does, he sees he’s missed not only several calls from Maria, but a text from Pepper. It says:

 

STEVE? WHAT’S GOING ON WITH YOU AND TONY? EVERYTHING OKAY?

 

Steve sighs.

 

STEVE (CONT’D)

I... Need to make a phone call.

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. THERAPIST LOBBY - DAY

 

Pepper sits down and pulls out a computer to do some work in the lobby while Tony enters the therapist’s office. The receptionist smiles at Pepper.

 

RECEPTIONIST

Good to see you guys back so soon. I thought after last time he’d never come back.

 

PEPPER

Tony can be... stubborn. But I convinced him.

 

She checks her phone and sees that she has a voicemail from Steve. She listens to it.

 

STEVE V.O.

Hey Pepper,  it’s me. I... I messed up. I’m sure Tony’s told you by now. I hurt him. I kept the truth from him. I thought that it was sparing him but I think I was actually sparing myself, and I’m sorry. Hopefully one day he’ll understand. I don’t expect him to forgive me for a while but I just want you both to know that if you need me, I promise you, I’ll be there.

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. AVENGER’S TOWER - DAY

 

Steve and Bucky enter the living area.

 

STEVE

Don’t worry, we’ll get you situated and-

 

He and Bucky pause.

 

Everyone is standing in the scene where we left them at the end of the New Avengers film after Pietro’s funeral. Everyone is wearing black. Wanda is sitting, Vision hovering awkwardly behind her, Clint sitting next to her. Natasha is sitting on Clint’s other side. Sam is in the armchair. Rhodey is standing over by the window. Maria is standing in front of everyone. Papers are spread out on the coffee table.

 

Everyone stares at Steve and Bucky. Bucky ducks so he’s behind Steve.

 

MARIA

Glad you could finally make it. I’ve been trying to call.

 

STEVE

What’s going on? And why the clothes?

 

Wanda bursts into tears. Everyone else looks at each other. Finally Natasha stands up.

 

NATASHA

You’d better sit down.

 

The camera focuses on Steve and Bucky - Bucky looking at Steve, clearly seeking guidance, and Steve confused and wary, knowing that whatever he’s about to hear, he’s not going to like it.

 

FADE TO BLACK.

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly worry that this isn't as good as everyone's expectations wanted it to be, but I hope that you all enjoyed it anyway.
> 
> You are welcome to read Steve/Bucky in this if you like. I've kept it ambiguous because I was trying to write this as a script that you might see on the big screen, and unfortunately Civil War showed us that Marvel would rather force a het romance and turn an awesome female character into a rushed love interest, so.
> 
> (On a related note Sharon Carter is awesome and they totally underutilized her.)
> 
> I also must apologize for the unusually high kudos count. Someone was inflating my kudos unfairly for a time. I marked the story as 'for registered users only' for a few months and that stopped it, but I can't undo the kudos.


End file.
